Dogstuck
by cautiousAlbatross
Summary: The Beta Kids as dogs. Because Yasmin asked for it.


Every day, four dogs are taken for walks in the park. Of course, there are more than just four dogs in the park, but these four dogs in particular are there every day, without fail, at the same time. And every day, without fail, the owners of these four dogs watch their dogs play together, and wonder what they're thinking.

The first of these four dogs is a collie called John, owned by a Mr Egbert. Friendly, excitable and loveable, everyone adores him. The square spectacle markings around his bright blue eyes manage to make him look permanently befuddled, and he always has one ear cocked, but never the other.

The second dog is called Rose, and belongs to Ms Lalonde. Elegant and refined, she's a golden retriever, with flowing fur and a calm, collected air. Some might call her snooty, but she's always happy to see John and the others, even if she might not show it.

The third is a blond chihuahua named Dave, belonging to the permanently sunglasses-wearing Dirk Strider, who still manages to look cool whilst cleaning up after his small and frankly slightly ridiculous dog. Dave acts cool and aloof, like his owner, and Ms Lalonde thinks he's trying to compensate for his size (or lack thereof).

The fourth and final dog is a black mutt called Jade, whose owner is a mystery wrapped in an enigma and known only as Bec. Jade is, if anything, even more friendly and excitable than John, and is always first to greet the other dogs and their owners. Bec never says a word. He just watches her. Mr Egbert and Ms Lalonde think there's something strange about him, but they're never sure quite what it is.

John always reaches the park first, dragging Mr Egbert behind him and straining at his leash, making it difficult to release him. As soon as he's free, he starts looking for the others, although he should know by now that they never arrive before him. Mr Egbert distracts him with a tennis ball until they do.

After John, Jade and Bec soon arrive. Jade is good as gold as long as Bec has her on the leash, but as soon as he releases her, she bounds up to John and nearly knocks him over. Despite her excitement, she never forgets her perfect training, and obeys her owner's every command. The control he has over her seems almost unnatural. The other dog owners always wonder whether he's entirely human.

Rose and Ms Lalonde enter the park sedately, and Mr Egbert sometimes gets the impression that Ms Lalonde is only there at Rose's insistence. Soon after their arrival, they're nearly bowled over by John and Jade, who always try to persuade Rose to play with them. They never quite succeed, but she always makes them think they're close.

As soon as Dave arrives, he leaves Dirk, who never has him on a leash, and goes to sit next to Rose. Together, the two blonde dogs watch the other two playing. For a chihuahua, Dave is very composed. Dirk always thinks it looks like he and Rose are talking. Sometimes, he wonders what they could be talking about. Usually, he pretends not to be thinking about talking dogs.

Every day, then, you might see the same scene. Two boisterous dogs playing together, watched by a small dog and a large dog, sitting side by side. A man and a woman talking quietly and watching the dogs, too. An odd-looking man standing off to one side, watching one of the dogs intently. A cool dude in a hat, pretending not to be watching the dogs.

Bec and Jade are always the first to leave. They always go at exactly the same time, every day. Bec calls Jade over, and she goes, looking mournfully back at John and the others. John follows her to the edge of the park, and whines pathetically as he watches her go. Then he goes back and tries to get Rose and Dave to play with him. Dirk thinks that, if dogs could laugh, Rose and Dave would, every time John did that.

Not long after they leave, Ms Lalonde and Rose leave. Dave and John watch them go, and Mr Egbert waves goodbye to her. John tries to get Dave to play with him, but he refuses. If dogs could pout, John would have been pouting as hard as he could.

Soon after that, Mr Egbert decides to go, and takes John with him. John looks back at Dave, who pretends not to be bothered. After they're gone, Dave goes quietly over to Dirk and looks up at him, as if he's asking whether they can leave yet. Dirk smiles, and they go. Until tomorrow, he thinks.


End file.
